State sports briefs

Report: Cooper to Hogs

Former Louisville head Coach Ron Cooper is expected to be named a defensive assistant coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks according to FootballScoop.com. The website, citing unnamed sources, wrote Sunday that Cooper would be brought on board by John Chavis, who has been widely reported as the leading candidate to be named defensive coordinator for new Coach Chad Morris’ first staff.

Cooper, 55, spent 2017 as defensive backs coach for Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M after three seasons as Florida International. He is a native of Huntsville, Ala., who had a combined 44-56 record at Eastern Michigan (1993-94), Louisville (1995-97), and Alabama A&M (1998-2001), where he won the Southwestern Athletic Conference Eastern Division title in 2000.

Cooper has worked at four previous SEC schools, Mississippi State, South Carolina, LSU and Texas A&M.

None of Morris’ assistant coaches have been formally announced. However, former Arkansas quarterback Barry Lunney Jr., and former SMU assistants Joe Craddock, Jeff Traylor, Dustin Fry and Justin Stepp have Twitter accounts reflecting their positions at Arkansas, including an associate head coach designation for Traylor.

FBS schools can begin hiring a 10th full-time assistant coach for the first time Tuesday.